2013 Resolutions

I don’t think I’ve ever kept a New Year’s Resolution. I’ve made plenty of them in the past, but the follow-through and follow-up has been much less than successful.

This year, my resolutions are all the same, right in line with some of the most popular American New Year’s resolutions. I think these two things will lend themselves to other goals by developing me physically, mentally, and spiritually. Here they are:

1. Lose Weight/Get Fit: Recently, I was inspired to lose weight when the scale read 247.5 lbs. Shortly thereafter: 252.5 lbs! According to my wife, it’s the heaviest I’ve ever been. According to all of my pants, it’s also the largest.
2. Improve My Blog: Over the past few months, I’ve been reading excellent blogs (see: Michael Hyatt, Jeff Goins). They’ve inspired me to refine my message, do more to reach an existing audience, and commit to consistency.

These are goals I’ve set before. This time, I’m going to use three ‘C’s to ensure their success:

• Conviction: I know I need to change my habits. Extra weight has a major effect on self-esteem, not to mention its detriment to health. As important as it is to acknowledge that you must change, it is more important to know that you can. This time, I believe both.
• Commitment: I’ve resolved to see them through. After I decided to lose weight, I gained five pounds! I can’t say I was surprised; I hadn’t changed my diet or exercise habits. To make a change, we must commit to its success and identify what is holding us back.
• Community: My wife is committed to helping me improve my diet. She is supportive of my efforts to form a good exercise regimen. Now I just need all of YOU to hold my feet to the fire for consistent, quality blogging. Being convicted and making a commitment don’t mean much unless someone will hold you to it.

Abstract resolutions like “improve my health” and “be a better writer” limit us. For more effective resolutions, we should set actionable goals that can be measured both by ourselves and our accountability network. These goals are commitments; they are promises you have made to yourself and your supporters. For example (and for my own benefit), here are my actionable goals for the two resolutions I’ve made:

1. I will weigh 210 lbs by October 2, 2013. This will require me to lose almost five pounds each month.
2. I will be more intentional about my food consumption and calorie intake.
3. I will write at least one new blog post each week.
4. I will tap social channels to increase my blog’s exposure.

As the year moves along, these resolutions will remain the same. Goals, though, should evolve and adapt to the new realities we create for ourselves. As you make your own resolutions, try to put actionable goals to each one; if an idea is too abstract, it is never a challenge. Resolve to create major change in your life.

Share your thoughts in the comments: As I move forward with blogging, which blogging platform should I use? Have you ever made a resolution knowing you wouldn’t keep it? Any advice for those setting resolutions?